Deportation of mentally ill could have dire consequences January 29, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in public interest law.Tags: deportation mentally ill, Equal Justice Works Fellow, Greg Pleasants, immigrant rights, Standing FIRM
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The deportation of a schizophrenic man is described in a post today on the Standing FIRM blog.
Greg Pleasants, an Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney at Mental Health Advocacy Services, Inc., states that “People with mental and developmental disabilities who are deported can also face a grave risk of harassment and even persecution in their home countries – harassment and persecution based solely on their disabilities.”
Click here to read the full post.
-Aaron
National service included in stimulus January 29, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in AmeriCorps, public service.Tags: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Corporation for National & Community Service, economic stimulus package, national service stimulus, New Service, nonprofit stimulus, President Obama
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Thanks to Amy at the New Service for today’s update on national service funding. According to the post, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (President Obama’s economic stimulus legislation that passed in the House yesterday) includes $200 million for the Corporation for National and Community Service. $160 million of that money is provided for AmeriCorps State and National to expand “existing AmeriCorps grants.”
To read the entire post, click here.
-Aaron
Former Northeastern Law Dean: New President of University of the Virgin Islands? January 27, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in legal education.Tags: Northeastern University School of Law, Dean David Hall, University of the Virgin Islands, Calvin Jamison
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According to this post yesterday, former Northeastern University School of Law Dean David Hall is being considered for the position of President of the University of the Virgin Islands. The other finalist is Calvin Jamison of the University of Texas at Dallas.
-Aaron
Law students participate in family law clinic January 26, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in law school, public interest law.Tags: AmeriCorps, Carrie Henrichsen, family law clinic, law school clinic, R.D. Hurd
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This is a guest post from Carrie Henrichsen, an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow at Access to Justice in South Dakota.
Last week I joined students in hosting a family law clinic for the R.D. Hurd Pro Bono Society, named after late South Dakota judge R.D. Hurd who began the funding for the program. This particular clinic helps low-income clients who are income eligible for legal aid assistance, but would normally be rejected as non-urgent cases. The clients agree to assistance by a law student who does the client interview and drafts the pleadings.
Students volunteering at the clinic (left to right): Mitchell Morrison (1L); Michael Gee (1L); Kenny Jacobs (3L, R.D. Hurd President); Krista Benson (3L)
The law students are supervised by Doug Cummings, Director of East River Legal Services, who double-checks and signs off on the pleadings and paralegal Lacey Graff, who ensures proper service on the adverse parties. Law students volunteer their time and drive over 1 hour to Sioux Falls, SD to assist these underprivileged clients. Their work is greatly appreciated. To find out more about pro bono and clinical offerings at your school, visit your office of public interest or www.equaljusticeworks.org.
-Carrie
Sen. George Mitchell to serve as Middle East envoy January 23, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in Uncategorized.Tags: Middle East envoy, President Obama, Scales of Justice Award, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator George Mitchell
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Following the confirmation of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, she and President Obama named former Senator George Mitchell as envoy to the Middle East. Sen. Mitchell will work with Secretary Hillary Clinton to promote and secure peace in the Middle East. See a clip from the news broadcast from the State Department below.
Sen. Mitchell was honored in October for his work in public service. He received the Scales of Justice Award from Equal Justice Works and spoke about global diplomacy and peace. See the video below.
-Aaron
Day of service: ServiceNation breakfast & service project January 23, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in AmeriCorps, ServiceNation.Tags: AmeriCorps, Ashton Kutcher, Congressman John Lewis, Day of service, Demi Moore, Eric Harsch, Martin Luther King Jr., ServiceNation
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Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps staff member Eric Harsch attended the ServiceNation “New Era of Service” Breakfast on Martin Luther King Jr., Day this week. Here is a blog post from Eric about the event.
I have attended several service projects in my life, but nothing has compared to what I experienced on the morning of Martin Luther King Jr., Day. ServiceNation put this amazing event together, organizing people from all sectors to come together to celebrate public service. There was a breakfast that showcased ServiceNation and its commitment to have more Americans pledge their time for service, followed by a group service project. At the breakfast, speakers ranging from politicians, national service leaders and celebrities took the stage. Speakers included Congressman John Lewis (D-GA); Michelle Nunn, Director of Hands On Network; and Tobey Mcguire, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.
One of the most motivational speakers at this event was Congressman Lewis, who spoke at another conference I attended last summer. Every time I hear him speak, it reminds me why I have chosen to integrate national service into my life. You have to hear him for yourself to get the depth of his passion towards civil rights and how national service has been vital to the movement. I’ve included a video interview below.
Another great moment during the breakfast was when Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore premiered a video they produced that spotlights public service and encourages every American to take a pledge of service. Check out the video below.
It was great serving with so many people who wanted to give back on this special day and to work side-by-side with one of our great AmeriCorps Legal Fellows, Tahira Bland, who is serving her second year at Legal Assistance of Western New York. Her service, and that of so many others, continues beyond this one day.
-Eric
Serving the public while balancing debt January 22, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in debt relief, loan forgiveness, public interest law, public service.Tags: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Equal Justice Works, My Goodness column, podcast, Slate, Stonesifer, student debt relief
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In today’s “My Goodness” column of Slate, Patty and Sandy Stonesifer address the “law school debt trap” and offer advice on how to have a career in public interest law while balancing educational debt.
The Stonesifers offer tips and tools for coping with law school debt, including the student debt relief podcast and other resources by Heather Jarvis of Equal Justice Works. More sessions are in the works for the debt relief podcast series, so check the Equal Justice Works blog or subscribe to the feed for updates.
Patty is chair of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents and a senior adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she was president, then CEO for 10 years. She suggests careful financial planning and budgeting as part of planning for a career in public service.
-Aaron
Education award available for summer internships January 21, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in AmeriCorps, legal education, public service.Tags: AmeriCorps, law school education award, law school internship, law school scholarship, Summer Corps, summer legal internship
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The Equal Justice Works Summer Corps program engages law students around the country who are working to expand the delivery of legal services to those who need it most. Law students receive a $1,000 education award for their service.
Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that in 2008 provided 350 law students with the opportunity to dedicate their summer to public service at nonprofit and public interest organizations. This year, Summer Corps members will also be able to serve in public defender programs.
These law students served at 234 organizations in 37 states including the District of Columbia, and completed over 120,434 service hours. They directly assisted 18,395 individuals and families in need of legal services.
Summer Corps 2009 marks the first year that qualified public defender programs are eligible organizations.
If you are interested in Summer Corps and in receiving a $1,000 education award this summer, please visit the Summer Corps 2009 webpage http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/programs/summercorps/general.
-Martin
Highlighting your law school programs January 16, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in Uncategorized.Tags: E-Guide to Public Service, Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools, law school ranking, legal education, public interest law
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The Equal Justice Works Guide to Law Schools (Formerly the E-Guide to Public Service at America’s Law Schools) online survey is available now. The deadline for completed surveys has been moved to February 16, 2009.
The Guide highlights law school practices that encourage students to engage in public service, and equip students with the skills necessary to meet the legal needs of the underserved. It documents curricular and co-curricular innovations. It provides a resource for law school applicants to find schools that meet both their practical needs and educational goals without the distraction of lists and rankings.
Because each law school is unique in its mission, culture and student engagement, the Guide is structured so that every school can show off its strengths, from clinics to career services. Read yesterday’s post on the new Guide from Best Practices for Legal Education.
The Guide is the only resource external to the law schools’ own websites or admissions materials that highlights clinical, pro bono and other public service programs, and is marketed to prospective students. For more information about the Guide, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org/communities/lawschools/guide/faq, or contact Charlene E. Gomes at cgomes@equaljusticeworks.org.
-Charlene
Filing your tax return: Tax benefits for education January 14, 2009
Posted by equaljusticeworks in loan forgiveness.Tags: 2008 tax return, law school tax, Loan Repayment Assistance Program, LRAP, tax benefit for education
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The IRS has posted Pub. 970 “Tax Benefits for Education” for use in preparing 2008 tax returns. Chapter 5 of Pub. 970 includes a description of tax-free student loan cancellation available under typical law school loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs).
Also of note: For married borrowers filing their 2008 returns jointly, the amount of student loan interest deduction is gradually phased out when modified adjusted gross income is between $115,000 and $145,000. This is an increase from the 2007 limits of $110,000 and $140,000.
-Heather
